Exhibition Programs for Power Incarnate: Allan Stone’s Collection of Sculpture from the Congo

Monday Morning Art History Lecture Series

A three-part series of lectures that will provide an introduction and exploration of the arts of Africa, with a specific focus on Central Africa presented in conjunction with the Museum’s spring exhibition, Power Incarnate: Allan Stone’s Collection of Sculpture from the Congo. The series begins with an introduction to African art, continues with a talk on the kinds of objects on view in the galleries, and concludes with a presentation on related arts of music, literature and contemporary arts. Lectures will be presented by regional African art scholars.

June 6 – Introduction to African Art with a focus on Central Africa (Kongo, Kuba, Songye) by Susan Kart. PhD, Professor of African Art, Sarah Lawrence College.
Dr. Kart will provide an overview of African art from pre-colonial to contemporary, with an emphasis on art from the regions related to the exhibition.

June 13 – Constructing and Articulating Power in Dynamic Sculptures from Central Africaby Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi, PhD, Assistant Professor of Arts of Africa, Art Department, City College of City University of New York.
This lecture focuses on principles of careful construction and articulation of power in striking assemblages from central Africa such as those assemblages included in the exhibition

June 20 – Context and Meaning in Central African Sculpture: The Allan Stone Collection byPetra Richterova. PhD, photographer and independent scholar.
Dr. Richter will contextualize several of the pieces in the exhibition in their cultural context which includes philosophy, music, dance and ideographic writing.

The Museum presents a two-part series of films including two on African art and culture (June 22) and one on the collector Allan Stone (June 29). Films are screened on Wednesdays at 10:30 AM, are free with Museum admission and are followed by coffee and discussion.

June 22 – Fang: An Epic Journey(8 min.)andLiving Memory: Six Sketches of Mali Today(53 min.)
These two films are by Susan Vogel, anthropologist and founder of the Museum for African Art in New York. Fang mixes documentary and fiction techniques to recount an African art object’s journey through a century of peril and adventure to tell a story of Western attitudes towards African culture. Living Memory is a film about Mali’s ancient culture, and this culture’s position in the country today. The film covers six aspects of Malian culture: ritual arts, culture on display, style, architecture, contemporary artists, and music.

June 29 – The Collector: Allan Stone’s Life in Art (62 min.)
This film explores the 46-year career of Allan Stone, the famed New York City gallery owner and art collector. Produced and directed by Olympia Stone, documentary film maker and the late Allan Stone’s daughter.